As they say, “All good things must come to an end.”, and so the time has come for us to bid farewell to The Great Movie Ride!

I rode this attraction for the first time some 20 years ago when this park was named Disney MGM Studios with my friend Sarah, so it was fitting that my last ride should be with her! Sarah contacted me about a week ago as she had read that The Great Movie Ride would be making its last tours through movie magic. She wanted to come back to Florida to take one last spin. I promptly got her on a plane and she was whisked away from the “oven” that is Phoenix to the “steam room” that is Florida!

We started our first evening at Artists Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. It has been many years since my last visit to this amazing restaurant so I was very excited to return. Disney recently announced that Passholders could take advantage of a 30% discount for early or late dining times, so this was a no-brainer. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is a spectacular resort set in the Magic Kingdom resort area. Once you arrive you forget that you are in central Florida. The setting puts your right in the west with lots of pine and lovely wildflowers. To say the lobby is impressive would be an understatement. It even has a water feature that is the beginning of a stream that ends up becoming a waterfall spilling into the pool.

Artist Point offers a lovely menu that is inspired by the American Pacific Northwest. We chose to start with a Charcuterie board featuring Wild Boar Salumi, Venison Sausage, Pate de Champagne, Rabbit Rillettes, olives, mustard, and toast points. I chose the Pork Porterhouse and Sarah the Wild Halibut. For dessert, we chose to share the Berry Cobbler. It was quite the culinary adventure and I highly recommend a visit!

After dinner, we strolled down to the boat dock and took a ride over to the Disney’s Contemporary Resort for some evening entertainment! On our journey, we were treated to a gorgeous sunset!

Our entertainment for the evening was taking in a showing of Happily Ever After, the nighttime fireworks spectacular over the Magic Kingdom. This is a new display for the Magic Kingdom and I have to say Disney has really outdone themselves. Sarah’s reaction the next night after we watched it from inside the park was, “How do you top that??!!”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf1kZ_Ufjhg&t=8s

The next day we decided to “Park Hop” as they call it, all four Disney theme parks in one day. As I am a FastPass master I was able to get a hold of a few coveted FastPass’s for our journey, and Sarah was able to experience some of the newest attractions Disney has to offer here in Florida! We had an absolute blast and I think a great big dose of silliness was chicken soup for the soul!

Of course, we started the day with none other than The Great Movie Ride itself. What really sets this attraction apart from all the others is the fact that the cast members interact with the ride. It is a wonderful journey through the history of movies and finishes with a very moving tribute to some of the best films ever put on the silver screen.

My absolute favorite part of the ride is when you get to Munchkin Land. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland, so this is just a little bit of heaven for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJYkB57liKE

We then proceeded to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to check out Pandora – The World of Avatar! Timon and Pumbaa greeted us in front of the Tree of Life, and we even had a Banshee sighting!

Epcot has always been my favorite park, and for me personally, the highlight is watching the Voices of Liberty at the American Adventure. They are an acapella singing group that the two of us have always been fascinated by! As Miss. Sarah said, “I still want to be them when I grow up.” Sadly most of the visitors to the park miss them. We also had a little fun with Figment while we were there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQrRJO2kz80

We decided to stop at Sarah’s favorite restaurant Le Cellier inside the Canada Pavilion for our main meal. This was absolutely indulgent! We were treated to a Waygu Beef Burger topped with blue crab, Maine lobster, and bearnaise sauce. It was served with garlic truffle fries. I had the Poached Forelle Pears to start and we finished with Maple Syrup Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Maple Leaf.

We completed our Disney Adventure at the Magic Kingdom! We were able to squeeze the wildest ride in the wilderness, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, in before the big finale – Happily Ever After!

Happily Ever After is the combination of Disney’s projection technology, music, and fireworks. They combine to create an experience that is out of this world!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3YFxPDev58&t=119s

I am so grateful that I was able to share these few days with my friend and create more wonderful memories. As we were leaving the Magic Kingdom on the ferry boat I looked out over the water at the Magic Kingdom slowly fading into the distance. Cinderella’s Castle and Space Mountain glowing pink, purple, and blue. The train station on Main Street shining brightly and offsetting the pastels. At that moment I was once again reminded of how privileged I am to live in the worlds largest playground, where even just for a few hours, I can escape reality and live in a world of fantasy. How grateful I am for all that I am able to do, see, and experience in my life. How grateful I am for my family and friends who I have created memories here with over the years. This place is truly magical!